Record Store Day History, Impact, and This Year’s Exclusive Releases

Record Store Day has grown to become one of the most highly anticipated days of the year for many music fans around the world. Originally founded in 2007, the idea for Record Store Day was first inspired by a comment made by Bull Moose employee, Chris Brown, who said that there should be something similar to Free Comic Book Day for record stores. Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliston, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave, and Brian Poehner made up the team that went on to make Record Store Day a reality. It is held on the third Saturday in April and is a time for independent record stores around the world to celebrate music from all genres. This year music fans and artists will gather together on April 16th to enjoy live performances and deals on their favorite records from a variety of acts.

In many ways Record Store Day is the best thing to happen to independent record stores all over the world. In 2013 Record Store Day was credited with the highest vinyl sales while in 2014 independent retailers recorded their highest percentage of physical album sales since 1991. Its impact was so great that Record Store Day has gone on to become an organization that works to spread awareness throughout the year about the importance of independent record stores. They provide special promotions, marketing, and other opportunities for stores around the world and maintain both a website and various social media pages all year which they keep full of new content relating to independent record stores. In 2015, the American Association of Independent Music awarded Record Store Day with a “Marketplace Ally” award.

While every one seems to have their own favorite parts of Record Store Day, whether it be the live in store performances by artists or simply celebrating the culture and individuality of their favorite record store, my favorite part is the vast amount of specially pressed records that are made available on this day. This year’s list was just recently released to the public and is full of special offers from some of the best artists, both modern and classic. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite exclusive releases that have been announced so far. Which are your favorites?